


Six Ways To Fall In Love (And Confess)

by Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Christmas Truce Gift, M/M, Narwhalsarefalling, Phandom Truce, Reverse Trio AU, Space AU, savant par
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 05:39:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13140207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter/pseuds/Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter
Summary: Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley have been and always will be best friends, no matter the circumstances that are dealt to them. All the changes and all the differences and that always hold true. Sometimes, though, they become more than friends.Here are six ways they could have fallen in love and six ways they could have said it. (Savant Par) (Christmas Truce Gift 2017)





	Six Ways To Fall In Love (And Confess)

So taking after my girlfriend's philosophy of 'due later? do later!' I didn't start this until the 23rd. I had ideas all month, though, and I stalked the blog of my truce partner as should be done! So here's 7k words of Savant Par.

Truce Partner: Narwhalsarefalling

Request: savant par or reverse trio au, or ghostfiish's space au

I did all of that and more.

MERRY CHRISTMAS NARWHAL!

* * *

**Six Ways To Fall In Love (And Confess)**

::

Daniel James Fenton and Tucker Maurice Foley met when they were nine-years-old on their first day of fourth grade. Tucker awed the class with his extreme wealth and power and took a shine to the shy little boy who rambled about the stars and didn't like him for his money but for the jokes he told. They decided they would be best friends.

Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley met on their first day of being members of the Space Corps after completing their basic training. Danny insulted at least three people, was horribly pranked by their fellow team member, and almost had a breakdown by the end of the day. Tucker sat next to him in the observatory and stared at the stars with him for four hours and twenty-seven minutes in silence. They decided they would be best friends.

Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley met at U. A. High School when both were applying for the hero department. They were in the same testing group for their entrance exam and were the last two left standing when it became an all out brawl to defend a group of students who became trapped in a fallen building. They could barely stand at the end and were bleeding from multiple places. Danny told a pun, Tucker laughed, and they decided they would be best friends.

Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley met when they were eight-years-old at the park. Danny said they didn't like to be called 'he or she' and Tucker nodded and said that meant Danny could be the hero who saved the day. Danny wasn't sure how that related, but they decided that Tucker was going to be their best friend. Tucker agreed.

Da'neel and Tucker Foley met when Tucker was retrieving sensitive oceanic equipment to study the recordings for Jack and Maddie Fenton of the Fenton Marine Institute. A storm started and Tucker, unable to swim, fell into the ocean. He woke up to a mermaid keeping him afloat and watching him curiously. Tucker stared back for seven seconds before screaming. It was after he realized the mermaid had saved him that he had a new best friend.

Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley have been best friends since preschool when they shared a nap mat, snacks, and the best swing and have stuck together through thick and thin - ghosts included. Danny gains a new power and realizes there's more to his best friend than he's ever even realized.

Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley have been best friends forever.

Here are six ways they could have fallen in love.

Here are six ways they could have admitted it.

::

_Reverse Trio AU_

::

Tucker blearily opened his eyes before immediately groaning and slamming them shut again. He felt like hell had opened up and dragged him down for a vacation before spitting him back up and saying they'd see him in another few decades- No, worse. He felt like he had chugged two huge bottles of soda and ate enough food and sugar to comatose a small child- Oh. Right.

Right, right, it was their annual bi-weekly sleepover night. That at least explained the sore stomach twisting itself into knots and the foul taste in his mouth that could only be described as a used litter book. What it didn't explain, however, was why there was a distinct absence of warmth on his right side.

Shoving his glasses on rougher than he really wanted or probably should have, Tucker pushed himself up and was distracted for a moment as he noticed his nails. They were starting to get a little chipped, which was rather disappointing as Danny had painted his nails last sleepover. He had managed to make a little galaxy on each one and oh, yeah, Tucker would definitely need to get Danny to re-do these-

Okay, so there was Sam on his left. As usual she was on her back and snoring loudly, spread out on their piles and piles of blankets and completely taking up what felt like half the room by herself. His right, however, was  _empty_. That was not right. Heh, right-  _Ugh_. Their horrible humor was  _infecting_ him.

Stumbling to his feet with a few well-placed swears, Tucker made a quick detour to the bathroom before coming back out and beginning his search. He would search the whole- Oh, there he was. Of course. Like he would ever be anywhere else. "Up pretty late, you know."

"Sometimes it takes a while to find the really good stars." Danny, sweet idiot that he was, was standing on the balcony connected to Tucker's room and surrounded by countless notes of the stars and their positions. A glance told Tucker that it was already more advanced than the beginning of some college classes. He would have grinned if he hadn't noticed what Danny was  _wearing_ , or, well, not wearing.

Not even having a jacket on, the kid was in a loose NASA t-shirt and pajama bottoms, breath coming out in puffs of visible air as his gaze was riveted to the sky. The telescope that Tucker had bought him for his sixteenth birthday was pointed up at the patch of sky where stars were visible through the city smog, Danny's glasses askew on his face as he kept sticking his face as close to the viewfinder as he could, no doubt excited on what he might discover.

Shaking his head and unable to feel anything but fond fond amusement, Tucker waited until Danny was looking at him to fix the teen's glasses carefully, smiling when Danny grinned at him, voice quiet as the night felt, "What are you doing up?"

"Hello Pot, I'm Kettle." The laugh it got out of Danny made the terrible line worth it, Tucker supposed. He was still glad that Sam was dead to the world and unable to hear what he was saying. Heh. Dead- Dammit. "Have you even got any sleep yet?"

"Define sleep?" Rolling his eyes, Tucker bent down and started gathering up the notes before they could be blown away by the fall wind, smiling when Danny huffed and started helping him. "I slept for a little while after you and Sam had that contest on who could drink the most soda the fastest. You lost, by the way, in case you forgot."

"She uses her ghost powers to cheat and you know that," Tucker huffed, using Danny's laugh to drag him away from his telescope and pull him inside. He was careful setting the notes and books aside until he noticed just how cold Danny's skin was under his hand. "Jesus, Danny, how long have you been  _out_ here? Your skin is ice cold."

"Is it?" Tucker saw the sweet, innocent look Danny gave him and had only a second to try and get away. He didn't make it. A flash of movement and cold,  _cold_ hands were on his neck, Tucker swearing up a storm as he tried to get Danny off of him without hurting him. It wasn't a very successful endeavor.

It probably would have been okay if Danny's hands hadn't started going  _lower_ , Tucker feeling like ice had just been shoved down the back of his shirt for how much cold he was suddenly feeling. Twisting and whining, Tucker tried to keep his voice quiet - tried.

" _Danny_!" The two somehow ended up on the floor after a particularly hard jerk and stray pillow, Danny laughing quietly and still trying to  _freeze him to death_. "C'mon, man, you're cold as a ghost!"

"That doesn't sound too bad." Kicking and squirming at the cruelty, Tucker finally managed to grab Danny's wrists. Chest heaving, he looked up to scold the other only to freeze at the look on the teen's face. "Being a ghost doesn't sound that bad."

"Yeah, well, let's not find out if you're right or not for a while, okay?" Tucker wasn't the one to talk to about stuff like this. He was the one who supplied the money and the tech and stayed in the background. Sam and Danny did the emotional talks, not Tucker. Yet Danny was… He looked like he  _wanted_ to talk about this. To  _him_. "Danny-"

"It would be better though, wouldn't it? I mean, I've been thinking about this for a while and Sam has her powers, you have power in your own way, but I'm just the nerdy kid who loves the stars and can't throw a punch. Being a ghost would be better, wouldn't it?" Did… Did he really think that poorly of himself?

"Yeah, but a ghost couldn't go to the movies with me to see that new horror film - the glow would get us kicked out. I mean, we saw what happened with 'Inviso-Belle." Tucker compensated with humor more than he should have, he knew that, really he did, but it was the best way to break up a tense situation.

"Seems a pretty small price to pay in the end." Jesus. Still holding Danny's wrists, Tucker stared up at him before taking a breath. Maybe it was time for something besides humor.

"Maybe, but a ghost wouldn't feel like you do now, yeah? Warm, and alive, and  _here_. Ghosts are all well and good, but…" Danny stared at him with wide eyes and oh, they both knew what he was really saying. It wasn't too late to laugh it off and have things go back to normal except- Except Tucker didn't want normal. Not anymore.

Letting Danny's wrists go, Tucker carefully -  _so carefully_ \- reached his hands up to cup Danny's cheeks. The sharp gasp steeled Tucker just enough, palms rubbing at Danny's cheeks to warm them up. "I love you just how you are, Danny. I love everything about you- Jesus, Danny, you don't even-

"I love your stupid fascination with space and how you can spend hours outside  _freezing_ just to take one more set of notes. I love your ridiculous glasses with that crazy galaxy pattern on them that you fell in love with the first time you saw it. I love the way you're warm and  _alive_ right now this second. I love how you're always working so hard when we face trouble- God, Danny, you're the heart of us. If it wasn't for you-"

Tucker didn't get to finish that as his lips were a bit busy now that Danny was kissing him. It took way too long for that thought to sink in because  _Danny_ was  _kissing him_. The kid he had been in love with for  _years_ was  _kissing him_. It wasn't- It didn't-

It felt natural.

It felt like the easiest thing in the world to slide his hands back to tangle in Danny's hair and tilt Danny's head just enough that it felt even better than it had - which, wow, didn't think it could get better. It felt perfect to rest their foreheads together when Danny pulled back, breath mingling and fogging up their glasses to hell and back and he wasn't sure who laughed first but it felt so  _right_.

It felt natural and right, like it was something that should have always happened. It felt like it had been inevitable. Meant to be. Maybe they had both always known how the other felt and it had just needed that one little push to get there - oh, god, the push was Tucker talking out his feelings. No wonder it had never happened before now- Oh, okay, Danny was kissing him again and that- That was  _great_. That was just perfect. That-

"Oh my god, go to  _sleep_." A pillow sent Danny falling off of him with a squeak, Tucker glaring over at a far too happy Sam. Her and her stupid ghost strength. "You're lucky I won bet money off this and I'm not angry."

" _Sam_!" From there it devolved into a pillow fight as it so often did, and still… Nothing changed. The three fought with pillows, they collapsed in a pile, and they all cuddled up and fell asleep. The only thing different was that Danny kissed him one last time before settling down, face red enough to make his freckles even more noticable.

It… It was all just how it should be.

"About time you lovebirds finally got together."

"Shut up, Sam!"

Yeah, it was perfect.

::

_Space AU_

::

Danny couldn't sleep- He was trying, really, he was, but he  _couldn't_. The only thing his stupid brain could do was go over their latest mission detail for stupid detail- He had been so  _stupid_. None of this would have happened if he had just stayed on task like he was supposed to. It had only been a stupid milk run that the Space Corps had given them so they would stay out of trouble for once in their career and instead they had been near killed because of Danny's mistakes.

He probably could have buried the feelings down deep and laughed it off as another grand adventure of theirs if one of his crew mates - if one of his  _best friends_ \- wasn't in the medical bay under strict observation due to his arm almost being torn off. Again- Okay, that really didn't help his thoughts at all right now.

Pushing himself up, Danny looked to the few that were asleep in the hold with him, counting their breathing rates and making sure they really  _were_ asleep before he swung himself over the side of his bed. Instead of landing with a thump, he floated more than anything and landed with hardly a noise, smiling to himself.

It was nice when he remembered he could be  _himself_ on this ship with his closest friends. His smile fell a little when he remembered just what a state one of those friends was in. Maybe just seeing Tucker would alleviate some of the guilt he had. No doubt Tucker was faster asleep and resting and trying to get better- "Tuck! You're supposed to be asleep!"

"Whoa, hey, I don't even want to  _start_ to hear that from  _you_." From where he was sitting at a table instead of in his bio bed, Tucker aimed a screwdriver at him with a fierce look that was all teasing. It was stupid how reassuring that alone was to him.

"Hey, I'm not that bad." Anymore, at least. "How are you even awake right now, anyways? You should be knocked out with all the painkillers we gave you."

"Yeah, painkillers wear off eventually buddy." Tucker looked back down to his arm - the mechanical one - and started working again. It was also probably stupid at how easy Danny got distracted by watching Tucker do maintenance work. He was always mechanically inclined, but watching him work on his arm was… Danny didn't know how to describe it, it just made him  _feel_. A lot.

Wandering closer, Danny watched as Tucker jerked his hand away at a spark, swearing as he knocked over the lamp he was using. Danny was there in a heartbeat to catch it, steading the light and getting a closer view to show that Tucker looked to be doing repair work on the parts that had shot. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem." The arm that had been shot because Danny hadn't moved quick enough, hadn't been good enough, hadn't- "Isn't that hard to do with just one hand." At the look he was given, Danny flushed and looked away. "I mean-"

"Easy, buddy." It was way too easy to stick his foot in his mouth with people, Danny mused, especially his friends. Luckily they went pretty easy on him. "Yeah, it's a bit hard, but, you know. Adaptation are what humans are pretty good at."

"I'm pretty sure Sam hates you for your grammar alone." Danny couldn't help but look at the bandages that were covering Tucker, some of them already starting to stain red. While the shot to his mechanical arm had been the worse, it wasn't the only place he had gotten shot. This had been Danny's fault. If he had just gotten out of the way- "Ow!"

"That's what you get for self-sacrificing thoughts." Rubbing his head where he had been hit with the damn screwdriver, Danny glared at Tucker who only grinned back. "Aren't the rest of us allowed to have hero-complexes too?"

"Not when it puts you in danger like that." Seeing another joke about to come out, Danny put his hands on the table and leaned closer, certain his eyes were glowing even brighter. " _Tucker_. You…" He hadn't been moving. He had been on the ground, there had been blood, and he hadn't been  _moving_. "You really scared me, Tuck."

"Hey, I-" Tucker paused, hopefully finally noticing how serious Danny was before the other was sighing quietly. "I know. I'm sorry, Danny, but I just saw you ready to get hit by that blast and I guess I panicked more than I should have, huh?"

"You're not the only one that panicked." There were three more people today that had learned he was a halpha after Tucker had been shot. They were three people who would never be able to voice his secret. "Here, c'mon, you need to get some sleep."

Tucker whined even as Danny lifted him up easily - making sure there weren't any connecting wires between him and the arm - before setting him down on one of the cots. "Holy shit, how strong  _are_ you halphas?"

"Oh, uh, pretty strong I guess? I dunno, we never really got a base comparison rate." Seeing the regretful look on Tucker's face, Danny pushed him down. "Hey, it's not gonna kill me to talk about this stuff, you know. It's… It's actually nice. Talking about it."

"Oh." The two fell silent, Danny absently sitting on Tucker's cot and tucking his feet under him as he settled down, trying to organize his thoughts to say something not so stupid for once. "You could, um, you could tell me more? You know, if you wanted to."

"That- That doesn't sound so bad." The others knew a little, but maybe it would be nice to tell someone everything he had discovered about his home. "But first you have to promise me you won't try to save me like that again if it puts you in danger."

"Hypocrite," Tucker grinned, the look softening at a moment. "I promise, Danny. In fact…"

"In fact?"

"In fact let me show you how much I mean it by sealing it with an Earth Colony bond." Danny didn't even get to ask what the hell that meant before lips were brushing against his own. "Now it's a promise that can't be broken."

"You- You can't just- You-  _Tuck_." And oookay, Danny had very much not been expecting that. He also was very much not  _against_ that because… Tucker was Tucker. He had been with Danny through so much and he was the only one Danny had ever let see him break and this was really just a long time in coming and-

"You know, if you want to give me your own promise that you'll be more careful…" It was all the incentive Danny needed to give Tucker a kiss of his own, absolutely sure that it was messy and off-center and probably the worst kiss in the history of kisses.

Although… It was also probably the best.

::

_Boku No Hero Academia AU_

::

Sam had been expecting an ordinary day of classes before one of the the teachers - Aizawa - was calling them down to one of the training gyms. After that she had been expecting just about  _anything_ , but she had to admit she wasn't quite prepare for  _this_.

"You want us to do a demonstration  _with_ them? Really?" Sam was pretty sure that the older students were only supposed to lecture when interacting with underclassmen, but if it gave her a chance to teach some kids about the power of plants then she supposed she couldn't complain too much.

"They learn the best with practical teaching." Aizawa had a sharp smile on his face that reminded Sam of her own days with him in her first year. Looking back to the kids that were scattered around Sam decided that oh, yes, this was going to be very fun. Especially after all the rumors they had heard about class 1-A.

"What do you two think, then?" Looking to her friends, Sam raised an eyebrow that clearly showed her opinion on the whole matter. Still, as much as she wanted to, the three of them  _were_ a team.

"Well, we do want them to learn how to be great heroes." Of course Danny was on board the second he figured it all out. He loved any chance he could get to show off his powers and try to win Tucker over. God, those two needed to confess already because the tension during their sparring sessions was starting to get ridiculous. "I say we go for it and then we can walk them through some things step-by-step after. Tuck?"

"Hm." Tucker looked over the students, Sam noticing his gaze lingered on Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo, the three biggest troublemakers of the entire  _school_ if rumors were to be believed. "I think a practical demonstration is just what they need." Oh, this was going to be  _fun_.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sam was  _so glad_ they were already in the training gym because it let her so very easily call the earth to her aid. She made a note to apologize to Aizawa after class for destroying the floor as vines surged through the floor and snapped out towards their targets.

While she managed to trap a few students with how unexpected the attack was, Sam was viciously proud as more than half the class reacted at once without any warning or time to prepare.

"Whoa, they're pretty good," Danny whistled, Sam shuddering as she felt the air temperature take a sudden drop. Danny was getting excited, then. "They have potential."

"Oh, definitely," Tucker grinned, Sam frowning at him as her hair started to fizz out. "Hey, this is why I keep telling you to keep it short-"

"Not all of us want our heads shaved, Foley." Sam saw the kick coming for her head the second before a wall of ice was separating her and Midoriya. "Thanks, Danny." That kid was faster than she had expected.

"You're kidding, he uses ice like Todoroki!" Ah, right, the kid who could use fire and ice and had made quite the spectacle at the sports competition. Sam shot Danny a look, Danny nodding before grinning and shooting off. Ice vs ice was going to be interesting, if nothing else.

"Oh, now you got him started." As electricity crackled in the air and made it feel like a storm was approaching, Sam called for more of her plants, letting them wreak havoc upon the gym. While Danny and Tucker did the most damage, Sam was proud to say that she was the one who did crowd control and suppression the best.

These kids were tough, though. They hadn't even finished their first year and already Sam was struggling to keep up with the entire class. They were going to be great heroes, one day-

" _Tucker_!" Danny's scream was ripped out of him and startled Sam bad enough that she nearly hurt the kid she was trying to keep away from her, head snapping around to where Tucker was on the floor and had burn marks up along his arms, looking ready to swear up a storm - in all senses of the word.

"Dammit, Tuck." If it was one thing that made Danny lose it faster than anything else, it was when one of them got hurt. "Mr. Aizawa, we should be okay, but you might want to be ready just in case." Because Danny losing it tended to end poorly for those he was facing. Suppression might  _definitely_ be needed.

The kid - Bakugo - had a wicked smile on his face as he advanced on Tucker, Sam groaning as the temperature in the gym dropped quickly to what she was sure sub-zero temperatures might feel like. She noted that Todoroki was forming his own little ice shield around him and most of the class, fire sparking around him to warm the area up as quick as he could.

"How  _dare you_." At the cold tone, Sam winced and called more plants to wrap around the students - this time to protect them from what was no doubt about to happen. " _How dare you_." And there was the wail.

While Danny's quirk was about pulling the moisture out of the air and rapidly freezing it to form ice and snow, he had managed to do that and vibrate the molecules at the same time to craft a devastating wailing effect formed of shards of ice that could decimate a building in no time.

Ready to pull the destructive idiot of a kid out of the way, Sam sighed as Midoriya managed to knock Bakugo out of the way a second before the wail was released. Groaning and thickening her walls of plants, Sam shook her head. Of the three of them of course the exploding one had to go after  _Tucker_.

The good thing was that the wail ended after only a few seconds where Danny was still trying to gain control of it. It also meant the temperature in the gym started going back to normal very quickly, Sam sighing as she let the plants return to the earth from where they had come, thanking them quietly.

Checking to make sure Tucker was going to be okay - Danny was already icing over his burns even with his shaking, speaking quietly to him - Sam nodded and turned back to the gaggle of children who were mostly staring in shock, "Well, kids, what did we learn?"

"Not to hurt the guy who's boyfriend is more powerful than you?" Oh, good, they could see the tension between those two, too. That was good. More proof.

"Good lesson. Hear that, boys-" Oh, it wasn't tension they were only seeing. They could also see that Tucker was now kissing -  _making out_ \- with Danny. Sam stared for a long few seconds before looking back to the kids and clasping her hands together.

"Mr. Aizawa I volunteer to watch your students or help anytime you need me. I owe them a lot after this." Years.  _Years_ she had been trying to get them together and all it took was Tucker being hurt and  _not_ losing consciousness or being out in the field.

"I should have asked anyone but you three," Aizawa sighed, using his eye drops with weary tiredness that showed he probably hadn't slept once since he got this class. "Any chance of those two breaking it up anytime soon?"

"Years, sir. Years." This was the greatest day of Sam's life and no one could tell her otherwise- Oh, pictures. She should be taking lots of pictures.

They'd thank her later.

::

_Non-Binary AU_

::

"Are you sure about this, Danny?" Closing their eyes as blush was carefully applied to their cheeks, Danny gave a firm nod when Jazz paused to get more.

"Absolutely. I mean, why should I stick to one thing, anyways? If I can be half dead and half alive then I think I can be pretty sure when I say I don't feel like a boy or girl, you know?"

" _I_ know, but others at school probably won't." Ah, the same warning Jazz had been giving them for weeks now. Danny wasn't an idiot, they knew that people would go after them for what they were choosing to wear, but they still had their family and friends. That was all they really needed in the end. "It is a really nice skirt, though."

"I rock galaxy print," Danny winked, grinning when Jazz started sculpting their hair. "I don't know if I can pull off these curls you're giving me, though."

"Little sibling, trust me, you can pull off curls. Besides, I bet Tucker would appreciate them." A long,  _long_ pause. "And Sam, of course."

"You're subtly is as noticeable as a brick wall." Danny huffed, refusing to admit they were blushing. It wasn't like there was  _really_  anything between them and Tucker. At least, not  _really_. Maybe? Nn. "You really think so?"

"I know so." A final fluff of their hair and Danny was being pushed out of the bathroom. "Now c'mon! Grab your bag and hurry your butt, I'm not ruining my perfect attendance record just because I finally got to do your makeup."

"Worth it." Danny could tell by Jazz's smile that she thought so, too. And, right. Right. Just wearing a skirt and makeup to school when everyone was under the impressing they were still a guy. Nothing weird about that. Jeez.

It actually wasn't that bad a start to the day, though, once they settled in. While there were some giggles and odd looks, Danny got quite a few compliments from various guys and girls. It was… It was nice. And then Dash had to come in. "I guess you're really living up to your name Fen _tina_."

"Oh, wow, insulting me by calling me a girl, how original." Danny huffed and refused to look down, meeting Dash's stare head on. They were done feeling bad for who they were. "Would you like to mockingly ask me for makeup tips next, then?"

"Or how about I go straight for the wailing." Dash pounded his palm with a closed fist, eyes narrowing. "Or are you too much of a  _girl_ for that now."

"I'm not a girl. I mean, I'm not a boy, either, but I wouldn't want to overload your caveman brain with too many new concepts." Ooh, this was going to hurt.

"Why you fucking-"

"Hey! Lay off them!" While Danny had half-expected Sam to appear, it was  _Tucker_ that stood in front of them. Tucker, the kid who feared bullies even more than Danny half the time.

"You want some of this Foley?"

"What, your misplaced anger on your own shit life? Sure, Dash, lay it on me. You know what, while we're here, why don't we talk about how you're so angry because you don't want anyone to know you like guys. Let me guess, daddy issues?"

Danny wasn't sure what was better, Dash's utter shock and silence or the football team's utter shock and silence. If pressed for an answer, they had to say that both were utterly beautiful. "You- You piece of-"

"Want me to pull up some proof?" Tucker's reputation of having the whole school wired served him well, the bullies all scattering for the hills. "Yeah, that's what I thought! Keep running!" Okay, now he was just being dramatic.

Hiding a laugh, Danny moved forward and quickly kissed Tucker's cheek, biting their lip when the teen fell silent. "Is this the part where I call you my hero?"

"I- Ah- Not against it. Not against it at all." Laughing at the crack in the voice they heard, Danny bumped against Tucker before nudging him along. "Wanna skip school and hit the Nasty Burger?"

Tucker fell into step with them easily, smile soft and friendly and warm and everything it had always been. It… "It's a date." It was perfect.

::

_Mermaid AU_

::

"Hey, Danny… I have a pretty important question for you." It was something Tucker had been thinking about for awhile, now, and it probably needed to be addressed sooner than later. As expected, Danny - or Da'neel really - dragged himself over the side of Tucker's little boat, tail splashing against the water. "It's sort of about how we met - you remember, right?"

"Hard to forget." Danny laughed, tail slapping the water again as he cuddled up to Tucker and wormed his way under the man's arm. "You swam so bad I thought you were dead!"

"Gee, thanks for that." It was hard to forget that night, though. Tucker… He thought he really had been about to die, but then in comes a  _mermaid_ \- right, merman - who saved Tucker's sorry ass and had become such a huge part of his life. That was part of the reason Tucker was asking this. He… He didn't feel comfortable asking anyone else. "It's good you remember, though."

"I'll never forget you." Danny curled up closer to Tucker, pressing against him. It was a good thing Tucker was so used to being wet all the time. Also probably a good thing he was used to Danny getting all sappy on him. "Can never forget."

"Yeah- Yeah, it's been almost a year now." At the look, Tucker huffed a laugh and leaned back against Danny. There were still some concepts to learn. "Twelve moons."

"Long time," Danny agreed before nudging him. "Question?" Right. Right, the very thing Tucker had been gearing himself up to ask Danny for  _months_  now. Right. Come on, Foley, you could do this, no time like the present.

"It's, well… It's about us, I guess. Sort of how far we've come working together and all that." Tucker wanted to go even further, though. With everything that had been happening it seemed like there wasn't any other choice - not that Tucker really wanted one. "It's also kind of embarrassing."

"You humans embarrass over everything." How was it that the one that was part fish was better at English than Tucker before his coffee in the mornings? It was ridiculous and oh, Danny was staring. Was something on his face? Had Danny asked a question? Danny had probably asked a question. He wondered what- "Tucker."

"Sorry, but, um, yeah, it's-" Taking a breath, Tucker turned so he was facing Danny better, and, right. No backing down now. "I want things to change between us." There, he had said it. He wasn't sure if he regretted it or not, but judging by Danny's expression the mer wasn't  _against_ such a thing. "I just… I really want you to teach-"

Tucker didn't get much more than that out as there were suddenly lips over his own. Eyes wide, Tucker was hesitant to call it a kiss due to the fact it wasn't all that eloquent or matched up and also because  _Danny was the one who was kissing him_. When they parted, Danny was  _beaming_ and nuzzling up under his chin. "Change. Yes. Change. Mine."

"I- Ah- Aah." That hadn't been what he meant by change. How did- What just- Did he just become boyfriends with a fish?! "I was just going to ask you to teach me to swim."

"Do that too." Oky, Danny seemed to be under the impression that Tucker had confessed his undying and forever lasting love to him. That- That had not at all been what Tucker had planned, but it also- Jeez, there went his elaborate date idea he had planned out on the exact date they had met. "Mine."

"Yeah- Yeah, I'm yours, buddy." He guessed this worked out pretty well on it's own, too.

::

_Danny Can See Auras AU_

::

Danny wasn't sure if this new power was great or absolutely awful. On the one hand, seeing everybody lit up in colored lights was distracting and had people giving him more odd looks than usual ever since he woke up. On the other hand, the lights were beautiful and told him more about the person than probably years of friendship ever could.

A good example was Star. For as much as she was Paulina's 'satellite' her aura was one of the brightest Danny had seen so far. He looked at it and he saw golden energy and laughter and a need to push and do better and she took after her name and was her own star that shone bright enough to light up whatever dark thoughts she had.

Sam's, however, was soft. It was, perhaps ironically or perhaps fittingly, shades of lilac and violet, but it was  _soft_. It was the kind of light he would imagine when he was falling asleep and wanted a comfort of a friend sitting beside him. Sam's energy was soft and warm and when Danny looked at it he thought of summer days playing in the river, cold winter nights curled up with a book in front of the fireplace, and friends that would never leave. It was an anchor.

All in all, he was learning more about the people in his town than he ever had before. He wondered if this new power applied to ghosts? He had always seen the auras of ghosts - everyone did - but did that mean ghosts all saw the auras of humans? That actually sounded terrifying yet cool. Maybe-

"So what's this I hear about a new power?" Laughing as Tucker was sliding up to him and throwing an arm around his shoulders at once, Danny looked over to respond before his throat closed up and he became breathless. The power had only manifested that morning and he still had barely seen anyone in town, but already Tucker's aura was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Hey? You okay?"

"I- Yeah! Yeah, sure!" Danny honestly wasn't sure if his voice had cracked or not because Tucker's aura- It was  _breathtaking_. Danny hadn't had time to give it much thought, but he thought when he saw Tucker's aura it would have been been something soft and steady - like a rock that always stood by you or something like that, but this was- Forget Star and her aura that reminded him of a shooting star, Tucker's aura reminded him of an entire  _galaxy_.

It was just- It was so bright and there was so much to it and Danny wasn't sure how the hell he had missed so much about his best friend because how could Tucker ever be someone who was just in the background when he shined like  _this_? How could they have ever undestimate him? How could  _anyone_?

What proceeded to follow was Danny's worst school day in history. It was less because of ghosts, this time, though, and more because he couldn't take his eyes off of Tucker or stop noticing all these little  _things_.

Like, Tucker tapped his pencil exactly four times before choosing any kind of an answer on a quiz or test, but when he was writing essays he would end each paragraph with a little flourish of his pen that made the last word look almost cursive. Or how he did the same thing on a computer, ending a  _sentence_  with a flourish of his hands and a small smirk. Or whenever they got bored in class and Tucker's eyes would trail to the window, then to Danny, then to his desk, and repeat in that order no matter what class or what he was doing.

He also chewed on his fingernails but only when bored and there was no pens or pencils on his desk- How had Danny never noticed that? He kept them short, too. Really short- Shorter than Danny's. He also had the habit of fixing his glasses with the edge of his palm rather than pushing them up the bridge of his nose with his fingers like Danny was pretty sure he used to do.

Every single time Danny noticed something new he was immediately distracted by Tucker's galaxy of an aura because- He was learning so much about Tucker that he never even really  _knew_. It felt warm and bright and like a sun in of itself but it also felt like  _protection_. It gave off the sense that Tucker would throw himself in front of a gun to keep his friends safe - which Danny, unfortunately, could say was true.

It wasn't only that, but it was so  _motivated_. Tucker wanted to do and see so much and there were a million little things that made him smile and oh, if Danny had thought it was bad before then this made it impossible. How was he ever supposed to- "Okay, you've officially been staring at me since this morning. What is it? Is your new power telling you that I'm going to die in twenty-four hours or something? Has it taken over your mind? Is your power-"

"I'm in love with you." Alright, okay, see, now, this wasn't so bad. It could in fact be much worse. Granted Danny had said this - completely seriously - in the middle of the hallways where at least seven people were staring at him and more were stopping, but it could have been  _worse_.

"I- I love you too?" Tucker's voice shook and his aura flared and oh- Oh.  _Oh_. Danny was an idiot- He was an  _idiot_. He was going to ask Sam to hit him later because he so deserved it for not seeing this so much sooner.

"No, I mean I'm in love with you like I want to only spend my time with you when I'm at rock bottom?" Cause Sam was Sam and could never be replaced, but  _Tucker_. "I'm in love with you like I see something and I immediately think of what you would think of it. I want to be alone, but with a stupid little asterisk that makes it clear whenever I want to be alone you're always welcome-

"Like when I'm hurt I want to curl up with you and when we walk home I want to hold hands and when we have our stupid competitions I want them to end with us feeling like it's only me and you and I'm pretty sure I want you in my life for however long we're both still alive and-"

Oh, okay. Danny was being kissed by his best friend in the middle of the school hallway during one of the busiest times of the day. Danny probably would have been more upset if it didn't feel so damn  _right_. He wasn't sure how long he was lost in the kiss until Tucker pulled back, Danny realizing both of them were breathing heavily. "Whatever this new power is, I hope you keep it."

"Yeah- Yeah, I think I want to keep this one too." Safe. The greatest and biggest and most obvious part of Tucker's aura called out to Danny that he was  _safe_. That he could break and fall apart and lose it all and it would be okay because Tucker would be right there to put him back together again. He supposed some things had never changed.

Although other things he could very much be okay with changing, especially when all he had to do was give Tucker a look before kissing again and oh, yeah, this was so worth detention.


End file.
